SMOKING should be banned from all outdoor playgrounds in Wales in a bid to protect children’s health, a charity said yesterday.

ASH Wales has called on all councils to make parks and playgrounds smoke-free environments.

The law currently bans smoking from all enclosed public places but there are no limits on smoking outdoors.

Some NHS organisations have introduced local smoking bans on all healthcare property.

And New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg last week announced the city’s smoking ban would be extended to cover some of its most popular outdoor spaces, including Central Park.

Launching the ASH Wales campaign, Tanya Buchanan, the charity’s chief executive, said a ban on smoking around outdoor play areas would help prevent children thinking of smoking as “normal”. A survey for the charity has suggested three out of four adults agreed with the idea.

Ms Buchanan said: “We want all local authorities in Wales to support our campaign to ensure parks and playgrounds under their control are smoke-free.

“Children have the right to experience a smoke-free environment whether at home, in cars, taking part in after-school sporting activities or out and about enjoying their leisure time with friends and family.

“Attitudes to smoking have changed over time. People are more aware today of the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and there is strong public support for our campaign.

“When children see adults smoking in a family-friendly public place it normalises smoking, making children more likely to try it themselves. The perception that tobacco use is normal is one factor that encourages adolescent tobacco use.

“Making parks smoke-free will protect our children from developing health problems from breathing in second-hand smoke because, when you smoke, so does everyone else.”

Figures suggest children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of second-hand smoke – more than 20,000 cases of lower respiratory tract infections, 120,000 cases of middle ear disease, 22,000 new cases of wheeze and asthma and 200 cases of bacterial meningitis are associated with tobacco smoke every year in the UK.

And it has been estimated 9,500 children are admitted to hospital every year in the UK due to second-hand smoke.

The ASH Wales campaign was launched yesterday in Cardiff, where local councillors backed the idea.

One resident, Richard Walters, said: “Local councils have an important role to play in leading the way on improving public health for local residents by reducing exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke and making venues more family-friendly.

“Children can’t always move away from other people’s smoke, and seeing adults smoke only encourages them to do the same. It is also unfair to the majority of park users who are non-smokers.

“I will be writing to Cardiff council to ask it to implement tobacco-free policies around playground equipment, playing fields and sporting grounds and that events run or sponsored by Cardiff council are smoke-free. This isn’t difficult to enforce – erecting signage around these playing grounds will act as a deterrent and is mainly self-policing.”

Lesley Jones, chief executive of Keep Wales Tidy, which is backing the campaign, said: “Smoking-related litter causes significant harm to the environment, with 90% of Welsh streets affected. Cigarette butts can take up to 12 years to biodegrade and they can cause health problems to children and animals if ingested.

“This is a blight on our environment and a constant influence on children. Over 4.5 trillion cigarettes are littered worldwide each year. They are the most littered item in the world.

“Smoking litter makes our parks and public spaces look dirty and uninviting and cause long-term damage to the environment. Our children deserve a clean, safe place to play.”

A spokeswoman for the Welsh Local Government Association said: "Local authorities, alongside the Assembly Government, were at the forefront of the campaign to ban smoking in public settings in Wales in 2007.

"The legislation to ban smoking in public places was groundbreaking, however it is everybody’s responsibility to ensure that much more is done to protect children from the health risks associated with second hand smoke."